Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology could “smooth out” the intermittency issues of renewables within the next ten years, says Octopus Electric Vehicles CEO Fiona Howarth.

With a new partnership between Octopus Energy, Octopus Electric Vehicles, Engenie and Marston’s, Octopus Electric Vehicles has expanded its EV portfolio. Eight charge points at Marston’s pubs will be powered with renewable energy from Octopus Energy, with 400 charge points to be installed by the end of 2020.

Last year, Octopus Electric Vehicles solidified its commitment to V2G technology through the launch of the Octopus ‘Powerloop’, a bundled service offering consumers a new Nissan Leaf with V2G charging capabilities, among other benefits, and is created by a consortium led by Octopus Energy.

OVO Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) charging (Image: T. Larkum/Fuel Included)

At the time of launch, Octopus Energy suggested that 38GW of flexible capacity could be added to the grid by 2030 through V2G. Now, Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, says that within that same time frame V2G could be used to “smooth out all of the demand and supply and have a really smooth consumption profile” that matches intermittent renewable energy.

“[Renewable energy] is intermittent; the sun shines at certain times of the day, the wind blows when it blows. So actually with things like V2G we can totally smooth that out now and move to a much more renewable environment.”

In its Future Energy Scenarios published in July 2018, National Grid predicted that as many as 11 million EVs could be on the road by 2030 and 36 million by 2040. Howarth says that these numbers are an example of why both smart charging and V2G technologies are important to the transition to green energy.